


One Last Chance

by Destinee Zara (LadyDestineeZara)



Series: Keith Week 2k16 [5]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: All characters (except Pidge) are 18+ unless told otherwise, Hurt/Comfort, I don't have any idea of how to tag this, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-02
Updated: 2016-10-02
Packaged: 2018-08-19 01:51:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8184526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyDestineeZara/pseuds/Destinee%20Zara
Summary: THIS IS A CONTINUATON FROM MY DAY 3 STORY "Death by Six pairs of eyes" AND MY DAY 4 STORY "Isolated System" OF "Keith Week"After all he had been through, the pain and loneliness, was it possible to Keith to give love and friendship one last chance?(Written for the fifth day of the Keith Week hosted by keith-week.tumblr.com, theme "Friendship/Love")





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there!
> 
> Welcome to the fifth day of the Keith Week hosted by keith-week.tumblr.com, theme "Friendship/Love"!
> 
> THIS STORY IS UNEDITED! So, pardon any English mistakes (let me know if you find any). Also, Engrishi is not my first language, so forgive my mistakes if I don’t Engrishi well.
> 
> THIS STORY IS A DIRECT CONTINUATION OF THE DAY 3 AND DAY 4 STORIES "Death by Six pairs of eyes" AND "Isolated System"! READ THEM BEFORE READING THIS ONE, OTHERWISE THE STORY WILL NOT MAKE SENSE.
> 
> I don't know if I'll do all the seven days, but I'll try my best!
> 
> Just one little note before you start reading:  
> \- [Text after dashes] = TALKING (A Romance Language custom, I guess)
> 
> Now, to the story!

Keith was still floating when he woke up.

Which was odd.

How could someone wake up from an eternal dream?

Also, fuck… Those mushrooms gave him the worse hangover EVER.

Maybe he should eat a little bit more of his fungus friend just to cure that headache and to find a better dream, of course.

He opened his eyes slowly. His eyelids felt very heavy. Yeah, he was kind of weak in the reality now. He was aware that he had skipped some meals.

(A lot of meals).

However, as soon as he opened his eyes he realized that something was wrong.

Terrible wrong.

It was too bright.

His dreams or his glimpses of his shitty reality weren’t that bright.

He blinked the best he could and tried to move to cover his eyes.

(He was not strong enough to move his arm, but Keith was a stubborn person).

He noticed movement by his side and he tried to look that way (his mind was fuzzy. It was hard to focus on more than one thing).

Shiro was by his bedside. He looked like he haven’t shaved in a few days and there were dark circles under his eyes.

\- Hey. You are awake. – he smiled gently – How are you feeling, Keith?

Oh, Shiro was there. That was probably just another weird dream. He tried to dismiss his worries with that thought.

Keith opened his mouth a few times, trying to speak.

Something was still wrong.

Why was it so bright and why he felt like he hadn’t spoken in months?

In his dreams, he was always able to speak.

Shiro noticed his struggle and offered water with a straw for him to drink.

\- Easy, baby. Go slow.

Keith drank the water and felt like throwing up. It seemed like his stomach was not agreeing with the dream water. Shiro talked with someone while he was drinking.

\- He woke up.

What the hell was going on? What was up with that weird ass dream?

Shiro had caressed his face while he drank. It was good. When the younger refused the rest of the water (because he couldn’t stomach any more), he moved to hold Keith’s hand. Keith’s tired eyes followed the movement.

He lost his breath.

His hand was still purple.

His arm was still purple.

He was still purple.

He was still Galra.

He was NEVER Galra in his dreams!

His eyes widen in dread.

That was not a dream!

He let go of Shiro’s hand and tried to push it away.

Obviously, Shiro noticed his distress.

\- Babe? Keith, it is ok. You are safe.

Keith would laugh if he wasn’t scared to death.

Why would they take him back into the Castle?

His stomach was twisting wickedly

After all, he wasn’t necessary for Voltron anymore. They didn’t want him in the Castle. He was a Galra mutt nobody wanted him AT ALL. He already was going to die, so there was no reason even to bother if he was going to sell information about them or not.

Unless…

Unless they wanted to make sure he was going to die in a gruesome way.

His stomach was turning.

There was probably poison in the water!

\- Keith! Please, stay calm!

He puked the water, but his stomach hurt even more.

Shiro tried to hold him and Keith struggled the most he could. The only sound he was capable of making with his rusty vocal cords was a low cry of distress.

\- Coran! – Shiro called in panic.

Someone held his arm. He didn’t felt any needle.

Then Keith noticed was that he was becoming sleepier and that his vision was becoming dark.

 

* * *

 

The next time Keith woke up, he was still in that bed.

This time he was more alert and lucid. He realized that he was on the infirmary, laying at one of the beds with an IV access on his arm connected to a IV bag with a white liquid inside. What the fuck was that? Poison?

But the odd thing was that he was feeling better. The migraine had passed, his eyelids weren’t so heavy and he could move more.

Shiro was still there. He was sleeping, almost falling from the chair by Keith’s bed, and holding Keith’s hand.

The first thing he did was to detach his hand from Shiro’s.

Why the fuck he kept trying to hold it? It didn’t make any sense!

What was that? A Twilight Zone episode? Keith was not stoned enough for that bullshit.

Lance and Hunk were there too.

(Which, basically, frustrated any plan that Keith had of trying to escape).

Hunk was awake and he stared at Keith in awe before opening a huge smile and shaking Lance.

\- Lance! LANCE! – he whispered.

The Blue paladin opened his eyes grumpily before looking at Keith and smiling.

\- Hey there, samurai.

Keith couldn’t help but wonder what the fuck was wrong with all of them.

Hunk hugged him tightly and started to ramble (like he did when he was excited).

\- Oh, man! Do you know how worried we-

Keith started to struggle to get free and started to growl and scream. Almost like a corned animal caught in a trap.

The Yellow paladin was startled and he let go of the other.

\- Keith! Take it easy, man! – Lance said with a worried expression.

The noises must have awaken Shiro, for he was now staring at Keith and looking like he wanted to hold him too.

\- Keith! Calm down!

They were keeping their distance and were trying not to look like a threat.

But Keith had had enough.

He tried to take the IV needle from his arm and was ready to try to fight his way out of that place.

That was when Shiro and Hunk grabbed and restrained him.

\- Lance! Go call Coran! – Shiro ordered.

\- I’m on it!

Keith tried to fight, but he was still too weak to put a real fight.

Lance came back with Coran, Allura and Pidge.

\- What is going on!? – the princess fretted .

\- He started to try to take the IV needle!

Keith kept trying to get free, no matter how many times they asked him to calm down.

He only stopped when Coran injected something on the IV access.

It made him sleepy again and he cursed all of them in his head.

 

* * *

 

The third time Keith woke up, there was no more needle in his arm and he felt really well rested.

If they wanted to kill him, they were doing a very poor job at it.

Shiro STILL was by the chair. Now he was starting to have a beard, not just stubble. He looked exhausted. He wasn’t holding his hand this time.

Pidge was there too, placidly typing on her laptop.

The Black paladin smiled tiredly when he saw him awake.

\- Hey, buddy! How are you feeling.

Keith only growled.

He couldn’t even imagine why they were keeping him there.

Shiro looked completely lost, like a kicked dog.

Pidge stared at them with sympathy.

\- Can you handle him while I get the food? – she asked Shiro.

He nodded and tried to smile.

\- Yeah, it is fine. Go there, Pidge.

She stood up and ran out of the infirmary.

Keith looked around.

With only Shiro in the room, it was a lot easier to try to escape. He would need to fight, obviously. It was difficult, but not impossible.

The Black paladin seemed to follow his line of thinking.

\- I wouldn’t do that if I were you. – he said with an apologetic smile – You are still very weak, you know. You would only hurt yourself.

Keith growled again and Shiro stayed quiet, showing his hands in a non threatening way.

Just then, Keith realized that the Black paladin’s mechanical arm was different. It wasn’t Galra anymore. The technology looked Altean.

Why the hell was that?

Well, it didn’t mattered.

Keith never worried about the odds when his mind was set into something.

Right now, he wanted to escape. (And go find more of the mushroom).

He jumped out of the bed on the opposite side that Shiro was. He was further away from the door, but he always ran faster than the other man.

Or, at least, he used to when he was healthy (and human).

His vision became really blurred, he felt like he was going to pass out by just standing and his head started to pound. The only reason he kept going was because he was a stubborn ass.

Shiro was by his side, trying to support him, in the blink of an eye.

\- Keith! Stop! You are going to hu-

Keith elbowed him in the face. He wasn’t strong enough to broke anything, but it felt kinda good and made the Black paladin back off.

He tried to run as fast as he could past his bed (even with his head pounding and the sensation that he would faint at any given minute). However, he was weak, and couldn’t go fast enough.

Shiro got him again. This time he held Keith before the younger had the time to hit him again.

Keith struggled and growled, but apparently, the other didn’t get the message of what he wanted.

\- Let me go! – his voice was raspy and sounded weird, but Keith didn’t dwell on the thought.

What mattered was to run away. Once he did that, his voice wouldn’t be important again.

\- Stop! Keith, stop struggling!

Pidge and the others got there on that moment, and Keith saw the opportunity to escape fly out of the window. He still tried to push Shiro away.

He didn’t want to be touched by them.

(It still hurt).

Luckily, Shiro seemed to get this message.

Coran was the first to speak.

\- Keith! You shouldn’t be standing so soon!

\- Fuck off.

They all seemed surprised with his reaction.

\- Hey, don’t be an ass! – Lance answered.

\- We are trying to help you. – Hunk added a little more gently, but still franticly.

\- I don’t remember asking for any help.

\- You were almost dead! We saved your life! – Pidge was livid.

\- I was fine.

\- You were barely breathing!

\- Not your concern, paladin.

There was something in the way Keith said “paladin” that made everyone stop and stare at him just as if he had slapped each one of them individually.

After a few instants in a tense silence, Shiro intervened.

\- Why don’t all of us don’t calm down. We are on the same side here.

Keith growled again.

\- Why am I here?

Allura stared at him sheepishly and tried to smile.

\- Voltron cannot be formed without the red paladin. And that is you, Keith.

He rolled his eyes.

\- Bullshit. I’m an expandable one for the team and, apparently, a Galra spy. Would you want someone like that on your ship, princess?

Allura visibly winced at his words.

Keith massaged his head. Why was it pounding like that?

\- You should lay down… - Coran said quietly.

\- And you all should let me go. I don’t know why the fuck you got me here, but it is just bullshit.

\- Don’t you hear the princess? – Lance shouted – You are the fricking red paladin!

\- Are you sure, Lance, that a “disgusting Galra” can be the red paladin, Lance?

The Blue paladin looked down with shame.

There was another silence.

Keith’s head was still pounding and he was fighting to stand.

\- The Red lion… - Hunk started quietly – She kind of shut everybody down after you left. Which is super cool of her considering that-

Keith interrupted him.

\- I don’t believe you.

Hunk winced.

\- It is true! – Pidge added.

\- Yeah? Then show me!

They all looked at each other.

\- I think it is not good for you to walk around yet. – Coran said concerned.

\- Don’t tell me what to do. You either show me Red or let me go.

Another pause.

\- Ok. – Shiro said at least nodding.

Walking was a torture itself. The effort seemed to be too much for Keith. He kept going out of spite. The others kept staring at him (they were all worried, but Keith couldn’t see it).

On Red’s hangar, the first thing he noticed was her red force field.

It made him feel nostalgic of the first time they met.

It seemed to be a long time ago.

He rolled his eyes.

\- She will probably not open up for me. You are wasting your time.

\- Just give it a try. – Shiro asked quietly – Please?

Keith grunted and put his hand over the force field.

For one moment, nothing happened. He was about to comment on that, when the field dissolved and Red reconnected with him.

A myriad of feeling from Red took his mind. Anger, worry, fear, happiness, relief… All of them in different ways and different forms.

It was too overwhelming.

His head was already aching and fuzzy.

He fainted.

The last thought before that was “I’m still the red paladin…”.

 

* * *

 

This time when he woke up, he was on his old bedroom in the Castle.

As always, Shiro was _still_ there.

Keith tried to sit.

His head started to pound _again_.

\- Fuck…

\- Go easy. – Shiro said concerned.

\- I didn’t asked your opinion, Shirogane.

The older one got tense.

\- I thought we had passed the surname stage.

\- And I don’t think you would allow a _Galra_ to use your name.

Keith tried to massage his head to easy the headache, ignoring that Shiro cringed ashamed.

\- You are not Galra.

\- You are right. I’m a Galra _mutt_ , which makes me even worse than a Galra.

\- Would you stop that!

\- I’m just repeating your words, paladin.

Shiro went silent while Keith was still trying to easy his headache.

He was angry. All he wanted was to go back to that planet and his mushroom home and that the universe left him alone. But now, he had to defend the same universe that despise him (and he felt like he had the moral duty to do that job). Life was NOT fair.

\- You should lay down. Coran said you might faint again if you try to sit or stand so soon.

\- And why is that? The poison that you gave me?

\- Jesus, Keith! That was not poison!

\- Then what the fuck was that?

\- You were dying from starvation! That were nutrition to save your life!

Keith snorted.

\- You should have let me die there. Then you could pick a better red paladin.

Shiro glared.

\- I’m not going to answer that.

\- Suit yourself.

Keith’s stomach growled with hunger.

He couldn’t remember when was the last time he tried to eat.

Immediately, Shiro offered him a glass of water and a plate with the usual green goo.

The younger raised his eyebrows.

\- More poison?

Shiro sighed tiredly and drank and eat a little of each.

\- See? Not poisoned.

Gingerly, Keith accepted the items.

\- Just… - Shiro opened a tired, but gentle smile – go slow? Your stomach probably is not used to it.

\- Why would you care? It would be one less Galra in the universe if I just died from eating too fast.

The Black paladin cringed, but kept the smile in place.

\- Please?

\- Don’t tell me what to do.

But Keith did as he was asked.

(He tried to lie to himself and say that it was because he needed to take care of himself, not because his bleeding heart was desperate to think that that someone still cared about him).

 

* * *

 

He was still in fact the red paladin. Although piloting Red was just as easy as he remembered, his body seemed to be against any physical labour for a while (still recovering from his months with eating almost nothing).

The rest of the team tried to keep him in bed as long as they can, but in Keith’s mind, he was positive of his position on the team.

The dispensable part.

And as something with such a frail position on the dynamics, he needed to be useful.

Or else.

Keith questioned himself to why he cared so much about that. After all, if they didn’t want him again he could just go back to that small planet to finish his days in peace. So he ignored them all and even still feeling like he was going to pass out, he started to train.

At first they all tried to slow him down, tried to talk to him. Keith was fast to cut that conversation. He didn’t want to get attached again. So he made sure to remember all of them of what they really think of him, bringing back the things they had said before and, apparently, had forgotten.

(Keith didn’t want to be hurt again. He felt like he couldn’t handle to have his hopes and affections chewed again in front of him).

Slowly, they all started to back off again with sad expressions.

(Keith didn’t get it. Why the long faces? He was not saying nothing new).

All of them, except Shiro.

He was just there all the time! Of course, he respected the distance that Keith set (above all, Shiro was a gentleman), avoiding to touch the red paladin, for example.

But he was there.

In the beginning he seemed to cringe and wince every time Keith brought up something hurtful that he had said. However, soon enough that seemed to lost its effectiveness. He would stand there patiently and unaffected. If anything, Shiro seemed concerned and exasperated most of the time with him.

\- You should rest a little.

\- Don’t push yourself too hard.

\- Have you eaten today?

No matter how much Keith was cruel and harsh, Shiro hold his ground.

Keith didn’t know if he should be happy or annoyed with that.

 

* * *

 

He was completely inconsequent during battles now, even more than before.

(After all, he was expandable, right?).

Allura had tried to lecture him plenty of times, only to be reminded of what she said before ejecting him.

(Again, the expandable part).

When she stopped doing so, Shiro picked up, much to Keith’s chagrin. He just ignored.

(It was easy that way. After all, what Shiro could do? Eject him from the team? Boo hoo).

His imprudent attitude was why he was captured by the Galra at some point.

That was ok.

Keith sighed in his cell.

The Galra haven’t taken his helmet yet, but as soon as they did, he was probably going to be sold as a slave. It seemed the logical thing to do to humiliate a mutt enemy.

He was aware that the others probably wouldn’t come for him. Why to go through all that trouble for some unpleasant Galra mutt?

It was fine.

(No it wasn’t, but he was trying to pretend it was).

He was thunderstruck when Shiro showed up screaming his name in a rescue mission.

The Black paladin ran to him and held him so tightly that it was hard to breath.

\- Fuck, babe! Don’t do this to me again!

Keith wanted to reply some snarky remarks…

…but it was just SO good to be held like that one more time…

He was glad that his hands were tied behind his back, so he had an excuse not to push Shiro away.

His voice broke a little when he said (without any spite):

\- Don’t touch me.

 

* * *

 

Keith tried to keep all of them away from him, so it would hurt less when they decided to eject him again.

He tried, he really did.

But Shiro kept pushing and pushing his limits. He kept trying to get closer, he kept slipping a “babe” when he talked, he kept reaching to touch him even when he couldn’t.

After that rescue mission, it seemed like handling that closeness was harder than before, impossible even. Keith felt like he was about to break in the most pathetic way possible.

Why couldn’t Shiro just leave him alone!?

Right after debriefing, he was already training again. It was easy to avoid thinking about it if he trained until he was completely sore and exhausted.

However, he was just on his second fight against the training robot when he heard Shiro’s voice.

\- End training session!

Immediately the robot stop moving.

Keith groaned.

\- Just leave me alone!

\- For God’s sake, Keith! You had just been kidnaped! Got rest! Take a nap!

\- You don’t get to tell me what to do, Shirogane!

Shiro walked until he was near him, the closest that Keith allowed.

\- Why are you doing this to yourself? You don’t have to be that reckless! You don’t have to push yourself like this!

\- Just shut up! Stop trying to sugar coat what I am to Voltron!

\- And what you are exactly, Keith?

\- Expandable.

\- That is bullshit! You are essential to the team! You are essential to me!

\- Shut up.

\- You are my co-pilot! Voltron’s right arm!

\- Shut up!

\- The best pilot in the whole universe! One of the most amazing warriors-

\- SHUT UP!

Each praise just made he feel more and more vulnerable, as if all of his old wounds were being reopened and toyed with.

Keith hold himself to try not to break down completely.

\- Shut up…

He tried to hold a sob back, but failed. He looked down in shame, feeling pathetic and small.

\- Just leave me alone…

But Shiro didn’t.

He took the last two steps and held Keith tightly in his arms.

\- It is ok, baby, I’m here for you.

That was too much.

Keith just held him back and cried and cried and cried.

He felt like he was crying his eyes out.

At some point, Shiro made them sat on the floor and held Keith in his lap, massaging his back and saying soothing things.

It hurts too much. As if Keith’s heart was breaking all over again. The only thing keeping him grounded was the older paladin’s arms around him.

After what seemed like hours, the tears stopped falling and the sobs became just a few hiccups. Keith felt empty and tired. He thought that he should apologize for his outburst. It probably was just ridiculous and useless.

\- I’m sorry abo-

\- No. – Shiro interrupted – Don’t say that. You have nothing to be sorry.

The younger paladin took a deep breath so he wouldn’t cry again.

\- Why are you doing this? I’m not worthy…

\- Yes you are, Keith! – Shiro took a moment to stare at Keith’s eyes with determination – After you… After we made you go, we discovered that it was my old arm that was giving our position to the Galra. Apparently, Haggar had microchipped me. We find out about the Galra-hybrids, about all the disgusting experiment the Galra did to make them and how you were one of the lucky ones for have grown with a whole different face in a specie that didn’t even know that the Galra existed. Then it was impossible not to see that you were telling the truth and that we had made the biggest mistake of our lives. – he took a deep breath – I made the biggest mistake of my life for not holding you and never letting you go.

He was talking fast, as if afraid that he wouldn’t have the chance if he stopped. (He had wanted to say that and more for months now, even before they rescued Keith).

\- Then, we found you, half-dead...

His voice broke while remembering.

The younger fought against new tears.

\- I’m just… I’m not… I’m not worthy. I’m just pathetic and weak.

\- No, Keith! You are amazing! You are so brave, so strong, so sweet…

Keith started to cry again.

Shiro held him and kept talking.

\- I’m sorry that we made you feel this way. I’m sorry that we were assholes. You have all the right and reason to never forgive us for it. Just… Just give us a chance to make amends. Just one chance.

The younger shook his head.

\- I don’t want to get hurt again…

The older paladin held his face between his hands.

\- I will NEVER hurt you EVER again. – he said earnestly before kissing Keith’s forehead – Just give one more chance to friendship. One more chance to love.

Shiro held Keith until the red paladin had stopped crying again.

The younger man felt exhausted and he just wanted to sleep for a few days. However, even if he didn’t want too, a small feeling started to grow up in the shambles of his heart.

Hope.

Although he felt like should cut that out immediately, Shiro seemed SO sincere that made Keith want to give one last shot.

He nodded quietly.

\- Ok…

The smile that Shiro gave him was so beautiful that Keith felt like he had made the right choice.

There was still a long road to recovery, but maybe Keith wouldn’t be alone for that.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Making off of this story:
> 
> I'm officially one day late for the Keith Week, but I just HAD TO finish this shit x_x  
> I wasn't prepared to end up a story in tragedy and kill the Main Character, so "Isolated System" was definitely not the end.
> 
> My idea was to make a small trilogy for the Days 3 to 5 of Keith Week. However, day 5, the one with the Hurt/Comfort part was just TOO BIG. Like, remember what I said about Angst, that it is necessary a lot of words/chapters to make it work? Well, to Hurt/Comfort you have to double that shit. Recovery to anything takes a VERY LONG WAY.  
> To this story, Keith was completely destroyed, so the recovery would need to be HUGE. Unfortunately, to properly write the story you people deserved, I would need a week, lots of time and inspiration. I had 24 hours (that I turned into 48), lots of coffee and nothing else.
> 
> That is why this is kinda hushed, especially at the end. I still like the way it turned out, but it is not what I was planning.
> 
> I mean, I had all that explanation to how Keith is Half Altean:  
> Because the Galra, to humiliate the Alteans after King Alfor downfall, used them to bread a whole new species of servants, the Mutts. They still have some Altean genes and were capable of some transformation under the right conditions. For example, babies were able to change form freely until 4/5 years old, when they would stop (usually at the most common form that they had seen). That was why Keith (who had seen only the human forms until his 19 years old) looked human. He was not tossed out like trash: his parents did their best to hide him, sending Keith to some peaceful plannet (Earth).  
> (They used some magic mumbo jumbo that I'm too lazy to think about).  
> Also, I was going to change Keith to his Altean form just because. (another "magic ray" time). 
> 
> Howeve, I ran out of time and out of space in the fanfic, so that is what I have. I like how it turned, but this work is still kinda flat due to the lack of time and space.  
> If you want to read something better with some angst and some Galra Keith, I recomend my story "What makes a Hero?", because I'm going very slow in that one, with lots of foreplay and time to adjust. You just have to come (hehe) and read. *lame sex joke is lame*
> 
> (And, yes, I am self promoting. I like my own story, ok? Fight me!)
> 
> Anyway, is ends this trilogy x_x
> 
> I WRITE 3500 WORDS IN ONE DAY! I TRIED, THEREFORE YOU CAN'T CRITICIZE ME!
> 
> Also: I REALLY stretched the theme for today x_x 
> 
> Now, lets go back to the other Keith Week fanfics x_x only two left!
> 
> Thank you for reading! I hope you have enjoyed it! Leave a kudo and a comment if you liked this story s2
> 
> I'm on tumblr if you want to find me! (I'm kinda awkward, but yeah...).  
> [@wonderland-s-angel](wonderland-s-angel.tumblr.com). I swear that I don't bite, I'm just a dork with a pink blog.
> 
> Comments help me to get going, you know. Like, SERIOUSLY, they keep me going.
> 
> I hope I’ll see ya tomorrow =3
> 
> Bye-bye! o/  
> 


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